It is often said, when speaking of a zoonosis, that man can become the terminal of a series of passages of viruses through animals. This is what happens with the Nipah viruswhich has once again hit the headlines after a second death recorded in India.
The virus belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family and is of the genus HenipavirusIt has been identified for about 25 years and the news of a first experimentation by experts at the University of Oxford of a specific vaccine, which does not currently exist.
How infection occurs
The virus is transmitted to humans through a series of steps, starting from the animal that hosts it and acts as a reservoir for the viral strain, i.e. the fruit batThese animals can transmit the infection directly to humans either through saliva both also and above all through foods contaminated with feces.
But that’s not all. Sometimes other animals are involved in the transmission process, which basically act as a “bridge” for the subsequent human contagion. This happens especially with pigs even if there have been cases of seropositivity, or rather of contagion, also in other animals such as dogs And horses. Alone Human-to-human transmission is rarely discussed.
How it manifests itself, the symptoms
At first glance, once the symptoms appear, one might think of a virus similar to the one of the fluwith cough, sore throat, fever. These generally appear after an incubation period that can be prolonged (in scientific literature there are reports of cases appearing even after more than a month) and can also be associated with gastrointestinal disorders, as nausea And vomit. As the disease progresses, however, neurological signs and symptoms may appear, from disorientation until the dizziness.
There are also reports of pneumonia and respiratory tract disorders and this very problem must lead to the virus being recognized compared to others that can cause these conditions. In any case, it is Nipah encephalitis which represents the major source of attention. The picture can not only involve risks in the short term, but also leave neurological after-effects that can lead to real convulsions and other remote problems.
How to deal with it
Unfortunately, the infection with its complications can still be burdened by a high mortality rate. There is no specific cure for viral infection therefore the aim of therapies is substantially control symptoms and manage possible complicationsespecially affecting the central nervous system.
Of course there are subjects at higher risk by age, presence of pathologies such as diabetes. As mentioned, finally, the appearance of complications affecting the central nervous system represents a further element of risk for the prognosis.
